The Way We Were
by AnyAnitage
Summary: "He's truly sorry, Hermione!" "I'm not mad at Ron because he left, Harry" "Then why?" "Because he came back".


"Hermione"

"Go away"

"Hermione, please..."

"Harry, stop!" shouted Hermione, furious. "I know what you want from me, and I'm not going to..."

"He's truly sorry, Hermione!" Harry shouted back, grasping her jumper and pulling her closer to him.

Hermione stared at him with a dangerous-looking frown before slowly turning her head around. The tent was quite far from them, and she did not intend to go back there if Ron was in it.

"I don't care if he's sorry" she said as calmly as she could, "I don't want him around us"

"He heard your voice coming from the Deluminator, Hermione" replied Harry, trying not to laugh, "and a ball.. a tiny ball of light touched his heart"

"I can't believe that, and obviously you can't either" hissed Hermione.

"I can!"

"Please, you're holding laughters back"

"I'm not!" said Harry, faking indignation. She gave him a skeptical glare, and he let go of her jumper. "Okay, fine, I do think that the ball light story is kind of..."

"Stupid"

"...weird" concluded Harry, "but I can't believe you're so mad at Ron that you cannot share a tent with him!"

"Well, I am!" exclaimed Hermione, crossing her arms.

"Hermione" replied Harry, his turn to give her a skeptical look, "you've been crying all night long every night. I couldn't mention his name because you would get teary-eyed, I... I was mad at him more then you could ever be!"

"I doubt it" Hermione sourly said.

"He said I had no family" Harry felt a little uncomfortable remembering Ron's rage of many nights before, "that my parents were dead and that I didn't care about George, or Fred, or Ginny..."

"Idiot" murmured Hermione, avoiding his gaze, "he knows you care about them... especially about Ginny"

"Indeed" continued Harry, "but that's not my point. I mean to say that I was really angry when he left, but he came back, Hermione, and he apologized..."

"I'm not mad at Ron because he left, Harry!" she yelled, staring at the leafy ground.

"Then why?" asked Harry, a bit confused.

"Because he... because he came back"

"What?" Harry hesitated. "What does... what's that supposed to mean?"

"We were doing just fine on our own" answered Hermione, after taking a deep breath, "we don't need him".

Harry couldn't believe his ears. What was going on with her?

"Hermione..."

"Did you forget?" she interrupted him, finally looking back at him. "All he did was complain! He complained about the food, the wheather, the Horcruxes... everything! You know, I was nothing but relieved when he left!"

"You're lying"

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are, Hermione!" insisted Harry, trying to make her see reason. "I didn't forget what a pain in the ass he was, but I didn't forget about how hurt and miserable you were when he left either"

"I was... I was shocked" she stuttered, "I was angry and stupid, I... was boggled!"

"Boggled?" Harry couldn't help but smirk. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Listen, Harry, I'm not going to say that I wanted him to be injured or killed" Hermione quickly replied, hoping that his grin would fade soon, "I'm glad that he could Apparate on his own, that the Snatchers didn't catch him, but I really wish he wasn't here"

"I don't understand..." Harry tried to speak, but she hissed him again.

"He could've stayed at the Burrow, or at Bill and Fleur's home, or wherever he's been during these past weeks. For all I care, he could have gone back to Hogwarts".

Harry slowly sighed. "Are you really that mad at him?"

"Yes, I am. But..." Hermione hesitated, avoinding his gaze again, "not for the reasons you think I am"

"I get it, you're mad at him for coming back, not for leaving..." Harry stopped and thought about it for a second. "You know, actually, no, I don't get it. You're not mad at him for abandoning us?"

"No, I'm not"

"But you cried. When he left, you..."

"Okay, fine" snorted Hermione, "I did feel very sad before"

"Before what?" asked Harry, confused more than ever.

"Before he came back"

"Hermione!"

"What?"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Argh, Harry..." sighed Hermione, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Really, it doesn't!" Harry replied, grabbing her wrists and pulling them down. "You felt sad because he left and now he's back and he's trying so hard to apologize and you just wish for him to be at the Burrow again? Seriously, have you hit your head?"

"No, and I'm not expecting for you to understand this" said Hermione, quickly retracting her hands and starting to walk away again. Harry followed her, further from the tent.

"Fine, because I'm not" he said.

"Then stop trying!" yelled Hermione, pushing him away. Harry stared at her, both surprised and hurt. Why was she doing this? She was mad at Ron, not at him.

"You're being unfair" he murmured, looking right into her brown eyes, "I didn't do anything to you. I was just trying to help you, and now you're mad at him?"

"How is it that you're trying to help me?" she asked sourly, ignoring the sense guilt growing inside her.

"Not just you, I mean you and Ron" answered Harry. "Everyone knows you two like eachother, and you'll forgive him eventually..."

"Everyone is wrong then"

"Come on, Hermione, he's so into you..."

"I don't like him" hissed Hermione. "Not anymore"

"What?" said Harry, frowning. "You can't be serious! Hermione, you're clearly overreacting..."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you're just mad at him because he left us behind and you felt rejected, but it's okay now, he..."

"Harry, did you not hear a word I said?" Hermione interrupted him, and she crossed her arms again. "I already told you, I'm not mad at him because he left"

"I've heard you, but..."

"I'm not mad at him because he left!" she repeated, desperately. "I'm mad at him because he came back!"

"You don't mean that..." Harry whispered, breathless. She gave him an intense look. "Please, don't mean that" he added.

"I still care about him" Hermione said, looking down at her feet, "I do. Our friendship is too important for me to give it up so easily"

"Great" Harry sighed, "then why don't you want him around? He could help us with the Horcruxes..."

"I liked the way we were" she answered, winking both her eyes. "I got used to not having him around anymore and I found out that I like it better this way"

"If you don't like him anymore..." began Harry, but he couldn't think of a way to finish that phrase. If she didn't like Ron anymore what? Was she trying to tell him that she found out that she liked someone else? Did it have anything to do with Harry?

"You cheered me up wonderfully, you know" she whispered, giving him a tiny smile. "Dancing with you worked like a charm"

And everything suddenly started to make sense in Harry's mind. She had been mad at Ron, hell, yeah, she had! But he had helped her, made her feel better, and, yes, he had danced with her... he had visited his birthplace and his parent's grave with her, wandering around Godric's Hollows holding her arm, with the cold Christmas wind pressed to their faces... he had touched her hand, squeezed it so many times when they had to Apparate somewhere... she had stuck with Harry even when Ron had asked her to follow him, she had refused even though she liked him back then. And now she was telling him that she was mad at Ron because he was there, interfering with her new plans, and Harry couldn't believe it had taken him so long to figure it out.

"Harry?" said Hermione, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" he asked, stupidly. Then he realised he hadn't said a word in awhile, and added: "I mean... really?"

"What?"

"You really... liked dancing with me?"

"Oh, well" Hermione shrugged, smiling again, "Viktor's actually a better dancer, but you're not that bad either"

"Viktor?" repeated Harry.

"Viktor Krum" said Hermione, "I went to the Yule Ball with him, right? And we danced at Bill and Fleur's wedding as well"

"Right. Krum. You danced" muttered Harry, as a weird feeling of jealousy came out of nowhere in his mind. "Viktor Krum, the... physical being".

Hermione bursted out laughing.

"You... you remember that!" she exclaimed, breathless. "Yeah, well, he wasn't particularly..."

"Loquacious, yeah" completed Harry, trying to calm down, "I remember that too"

"He just watched me study and... well, that was boring" said Hermione, with a half smile. Then, all of a sudden, it faded again. "I wish we could go back in time again"

"To be with Viktor?" Harry couldn't stop himself from asking.

"No!" replied Hermione, shaking her head. "To when we were alone, just you and me, and no Ron around. Harry, I..." she sighed loudly and gave him a penetrating look.

Out of fear of saying something stupid again, he kept quiet and waited for her to speak again.

"When I said I'm mad at Ron because he came back" Hermione slowly said, "I didn't mean... I don't... it doesn't have anything to do with him anymore. What I really mean is that... even though it's not a fun school trip, and we're in serious danger while hunting Horcruxes... I wouldn't wanna be with anybody else. And I don't want anybody else around because I feel safe with you, I know you would never leave me like Ron did"

"I left Ginny behind" replied Harry, feeling a little bit guilty.

"Because you wanted to protect her" Hermione hurt herself with her own words, "you didn't want her to be in danger..."

"But I couldn't leave you behind" hissed Harry, gently pulling her closer with his left arm, and stroking her cheek with the right hand.

"It's just... it's because Ginny is your girlfriend" murmured Hermione, now both hurt and confused.

"Maybe" said Harry, "maybe not. Maybe I left her behind because I want to protect her. Maybe I didn't leave you behind because I couldn't"

"What do you mean you couldn't?" she asked, breathless.

"Where would I be now, Hermione, if I didn't have you?"

"Oh, Harry... I get it, I know many spells, and I do know how to use Dittamy on bad wounds, but..."

"No, it's not that, Hermione" Harry interrupted her again, and she bit her lips. "It's not about the things you do, it's... it's about you"

"What about me, Harry?"

"You are... brilliant, Hermione. Truly".

He stopped stroking her cheek. Hermione hesitated.

"The last time you said that, Ron left" she said, biting her lips harder.

"I know" replied Harry, "I was just trying to see if it works again, you know, like a charm".

Hermione's mouth widened and she gave him a huge smile. Then she looked back and saw Ron wandering around the tent.

"I'm sorry, Harry" she joked, "but this time it didn't work"

"Too bad" he said, smiling back, "maybe we should try dancing one of these days"

"Defintely" she whispered, grabbing his hands and kissing him on the cheek.


End file.
